By: Melissa Camacho
Teacher Notes
Missouri Grade Level Expectations:
5.2.F.b. Earth's systems (geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere) interact with one another as they undergo change by common processes.
Concept being addressed:
Students will observe and describe the general weather condition that occur during fall season. Students will also observe the changes of the leaves during this season.
Activity to teach the concept exploration:
Students will look at a tree outside to observe the weather, sunlight, and temperature of the color of the leaves. This lesson will take about a week of observation. During this time, the teacher will read the books, When Autumn Comes, and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, and Why do Leaves Change Color?, The teacher will ask the students, why do you think some trees lose their leaves before winter? Have the students get into groups to discuss their ideas. Write their ideas on chart paper. Collect the green leaves off of the tree to keep. Put all leaves in contact paper to preserve the leaves during the lesson. Explain to the students that the color green in leaves is called chlorophyll. Have the students observe the color and texture of the leaves and draw pictures of the leaves. Ask the question, what do you think will happen to the green leaves? Write responses on chart paper. Have the students also observe the weather and how it feels outside while the leaves are still green. Also ask the question, will the weather change the leaves? Will the change in sunlight change the leaves? Write their responses on chart paper. After the leaves change, have the students go outside and collect the colored leaves as well as observing the weather and sunlight while the leaves have changed. Explain to the students that the light in days get shorter and the temperature drops causes and the weather causes the leaves lose their green pigment which is called chlorophyll. The other colors which are already there but we cannot see, comes from secondary pigments called carotene after the chlorophyll breaks down. Have the students observe the color and texture of the colored leaves and compare it to the drawing of the green leaves.
Data collected during the activities exploration:
The students will observe and draw their own predictions on paper in groups. The students will compare their observations of the green leaves and the colored leaves. As well as the temperature outside, the weather, and the amount of sunlight outside, and discuss their observations as the teacher writes on chart paper. The teacher will ask, what do you think will be different from the green leaves to the colored leaves? What do you think will happen to the leaves if there is less sunlight outside? What do you think will happen to the leaves if the temperature drops? What do you think will happen to the leaves if the weather rains or is dry outside?
Data used to derive the concept introduction:
The students compare the observations of both the green leaves and the colored leaves to discover the difference in temperature outside and the color and texture of the leaves during the change. They will observe that the leaves will change color because of the change in the weather and sunlight. Students will record their observations. Ask the students what did they notice form the green leaves to the colored leaves? What did they notice about the daylight outside? What did they notice with the weather? Weather, temperature, and decrease in sunlight cause the leaves to change color.
Extended activity used to apply the concept application:
Read the book, Apples and Pumpkins, and have the students observe the color of the apples during the fall season. Have the students closely observe the redness of the apples and the temperature as the change to a more reddish color, while keeping them in a refrigerator. Chart their predictions and observations. The teacher will ask, look at the apples in your group, what color do you see? Now I am going to take the apples out of the refrigerator, what do you color do you see with the apples that were out of the refrigerator? Look and compare the differences of the apples at your table to the apples from the refrigerator, what do you notice about the colors of the apples? With the temperature change in apples the color changes to a more red color. The temperature plays an important role in the changes in apples color.
Material List:
draw paper for observations
chart paper
plastic baggies
contact paper
History of the concept:
When leaves loose sunlight and the temperature drops, the leaves chlorophyll breaks down causing the leaves to change color. The sugar that the leaves make to keep trees fed changes the leaves into the colors that they have. When they do not get the water they need to survive as well, the leaves then start to fall off the trees.
Websites:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/seasons.htm
http://www.auburn.webnet.edu/homepages/ilalko/Season.htm
Reference:
Hunken, Jorie, (Spring 1994). Trees and the Season. Science Activities, v. 31. 1-4